“I always wanted to make women beautiful,” Valentino Garavani once said. He certainly achieved that goal, dressing everyone from Nan Kemper and Nancy Reagan to Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez in ultra-feminine gowns, often lacy, red, or floral—or all three at once. Born in Rome in the 1930s, Valentino opened his first atelier in 1957 and quickly became high-society’s designer of choice for clothes with Rococo-level grandeur.

Now 93, Valentino retired nearly two decades ago. This past April, Alessandro Michele—formerly of Gucci—was appointed the fifth ever creative director of the brand, bringing a more maximalist, theatrical edge to the maison. That makes the new edition of Taschen’s Valentino: A Grand Italian Epic especially timely. More than just a glossy coffee-table book, it’s a comprehensive account of Valentino, both the man and the brand.